Motorsports fans will enjoy a spring and summer of top-tier racing events at Portland International Raceway (PIR) this year, and the racing promoter is already on-site at the race track getting ready to host three major professional series.
Kevin Savoree of Green Savoree Racing Promotions and Nacho Calcedo of international racing sanctioning body Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have been spending time in Portland making sure that all arrangements are in place to host the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and the NTT IndyCar Series.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR event comes first, bringing national-level stock car racing to Portland on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1. The Portland debut of the Xfinity Series in 2022 marked the first event in the Pacific Northwest by a NASCAR national racing series since 2000.
Both the 2022 and 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at PIR have produced exciting racing complete with dramatic finishes. In 2022, A.J. Allmendiger won after coming from the very back of the field to take the lead on lap 72 of 75. In 2023, Cole Custer beat Justin Allgaier to the finish line by 0.142 seconds after taking the lead late in the race after an overtime restart.
"On Friday we lead off that NASCAR weekend with the ARCA Menards Series," Savoree said. "They always put on a great show and usually some of the NASCAR Xfinity drivers will jump over to drive some of those cars just to get a little bit more track time. It's always fun to see some of those guys literally do a double header Friday and Saturday. We have an Xfinity autograph session on Friday, and we'll have another one on Saturday. That's always a great opportunity for the fans to interact with the drivers. These guys put on an unbelievable show, rain or shine."
Tickets to the Xfinity Series event are on sale now at raceportland.com/nascar.
ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
Just a few weeks later at the end of June, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship arrives for the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix. Formula E is an all-electric racing series, using nearly identical cars and with defined power output and battery capacity. The closely regulated nature of the series means that driver skill and team strategy are essential to win a race, and the young drivers go all-out to gain an advantage.
In last year's race, it was not uncommon to see Formula E drivers racing up to five-wide down PIR's wide front straight, looking for an advantage going into the tight Shelton Chicane. The performance made Formula E an instant fan favorite event. This year, FIA is literally doubling down on the Portland event.
"It's a double race this year," reveals Calcedo, "so it's two days of racing. That's a big difference from last year and something that we are trying this year after listening to our fans. The other difference from last year is the time of the race. Last year the race was at 5:00 PM, but this year the race happens at 2:00 PM so we can accommodate all the families to spend the day here at the racetrack and also in our family village."
With the popularity of Formula E among Portland fans, and the smooth way the event ran in 2023, one big question is whether the event might stay on at PIR. To date, Formula E has never raced in one U.S. city for more than two years.
"Our team and Formula E have every intention of being back here in 2025," Savoree said. "I think they put on such a great product and the fans turn out for it. So as long as we have those ingredients, I'm sure they'll be back in 2025. I think Portland displays itself really well on that weekend."
Tickets for the Hankook Portland E-Prix are on sale now at raceportland.com/formulae.
NTT IndyCar Series Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland
After the local Rose Cup Races on July 13-14, there's a break until August 23-25, when the NTT IndyCar Series returns to Portland for the 2024 Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland. As the capstone of the racing season, the IndyCar series will bring its full show to PIR, including the exciting IndyNXT series showcasing up-and-coming drivers in the IndyCar world.
2024 marks 40 years since the first time Indy cars came to Portland in 1984, so this year holds special significance for fans and drivers.
"We'll have a full field," Savoree said. "I think it's 27 or 28 cars will be here. So that's impressive. Similar to Formula E and NASCAR, they put on a unbelievable show. We're looking forward to some track records falling because they are going to be fast."
One difference between this event and prior years is that IndyCar is coming to town a week before Labor Day weekend to free up fans for other activities on the holiday.
"The Northwest fans are a camping crowd," Savoree said. "They love their camping and I think it's a great way to experience the event. Then we've got a great undercard of the other series that are going to be here. In addition to IndyNXT, we're going to have three other development series here as well. Obviously that's a lot of racing, and it's all open wheel. From Friday through Sunday it's going to be a busy weekend. I think that's always a lot of fun."
Tickets for the NTT IndyCar Series Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland go on sale later this week on Friday, April 19. On or after that date, tickets can be purchased through raceportland.com/indycar.
